New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-10
OPINIONS ON THE BIG DAM.
"DETAILS YET TO BE AGREED UPON.

.o,,, .,,vo prpoar OF AN KNGINEER-CoMPAR-
IsoNs WITH OTHER GREAT WORKS.
RI. onnoueuts of the Quaker Bridge Dam, which
HAs Auueduct Commissioners have decided TO con-
srvet threaten to delay operations by resort to the
eourts The statute creating the Aqueduct Commission
provides that plans covering the entire work contem-
plated by the act shall be prepared and open to pubic
inspection and public hearings given thereon, before
their final adoption o. B. Potter. cx-Judge Arnou1,
W. II. Webb, X. L. Darragh and other prominent citi-
seus who have been opposing the Quaker Bridge Dam
project, claim that the law has not been complied
viii and that full plans and specifications not
supmtted before the commission decided 10 construct
the DAM Mr. Potter says that no plans or speclnca-
tops OF the network roads and bridges 10
replace use that will be destroyed BY the lake nave
been submitted tor pubic inspection uo
Some of the residents OF Wostcnester Nou n on,
Alarmed concerning the safety OF the proposed Dam
and the effect it will have the health OF the COM
muy, and they threaten legal Proceeangs ~ sHP he
construction Ii Is net likely that any steps VIII oe
taken at once bat when the contracts come 10 DO e'
an Injunction may be sought AT least such Is inc
talk Of OF the o. poaenss o. me III, commits
s;on nj be ready to let the contracts Commissioner
Rigway said yesterday that the commission had SO lar
merely decided to construct the dam Inc Comhht,ec
On construction would proceed to determine what
kind OF q DIM il should be. whether straieht OF
curved and other points. Inc commission, ne san,
had fall power 10 change modify the plans ALREADY
mited. Commissioner Barnes, who IL an engineer,
was in favor OF curved dam, while Chief Engineer
Church favor ed At. aight one There was dl sion
M opipion in the commission on this point and TINS
and other things would he decided Maps would have
TO be MI dot the land to be taken, and when this had
been done they would DO rsssy 70 le' sne
cons deraton and he felt tnat he would have fallen
short OF his duty if he had not voted ior the DAM
Commissioner Fish expressed himself In similar TERMS
He SAID that every engineer with whom he had con-
suited favored the dam, and that the best known
hydraulic engineers IN the country had approved II;
II the commission decides on curved dam, tnat
viii add considerable to the cost. Contractor OBrien
said yesterday that, in his opinion straight dam
would be best and that curved aam W9u 9; Sos'
euce of opinion as to the of the dam PRESIDENT
Spencer, VINO mas studied the problem more carefully
than any other member of the commission says mat
II the city gets off with expenditure OF less than
$40 OOOCO account vf the dam II will be lucky.
H. says that the amount OF storage capacity can
be provided under the separate reservoir syste nj
much less expenditure OIL money. Another memoer Pi
the commission, who favOrs the DAM said yesterday
that he expected that it would cost Cn,ei
Engineer Church estimates the cost at $6, 900,
but if q curved dam built this estimate vii be
largely increased Edwin f: Glaskin, civil engineer
and contractor who has studied the plans and esti-
mated the cost of the WORK. places the total cost IN
Guiding land and damages, at about $lo,0oO OOO.
Other engineers have made estimates varying rom
sgIee that ii proper foundation can be had, with
sufficient expenditure OF money, safe dam can be
built.
William W. Bates, an engineer who was asked to
Examine the plans and report The subject, says that
. dam under the plans now before the commission
would be a serious experiment. He says:
1t canno sound stratum of rock fit
70 support the waterproof earth covering
the wholly removed II assures exist the enor
OF 10 pounds per square inoh WI open free
ce-sfu experiences in dams with water pressure
higher than II pounds 10 the square inch The only dam car
Tyng cher 81 poundsbuilt In SPAIN broke ONLY
Perhaps be thought that the thickness
Quaker Dam feos great as 10 secure
from breaking at that locality but there is the example 81
broken dam that was ~ feet wider at the base , ana
70 OF Del CARGO spain Its failure was attrn
2Ss feet OF breadth
The only high stone existence with foundation mar
height than the Quaker DAM
Of DE Tvi SPAN, bu nearly 800 ye,rs ago II stood
firmly 100 years then suffered partial break owing
Is believed to the fault OF nsTowness the foundation noh
which The pressure scarcely exceeded sNty'hiee
pounds the square nch aLout hfiyfve cent o. That o
Tie Quaker Dam Not of the successful dams has less
than eirhtyseven pr cent OF height for base. while
Quaker Dam has so cent There is therefore no
precedent o. certainty the present
at the foundation viii be solid enough the work broad
Ihs he length greatly exceed those OF any
dam projected between two hisdes. The Two
suffered disastrous and destructive breaks by which
several villages with hundreds OF houses and more than 900
lives. were swept away.
EThe average height falling only half and
successful dam is only 81
J. and The per cent the height OF the Qnaker Dam
length 90 tie height 10 this Coton monster
:. IL We are To ne GUIDED at al by experimental
insufficient The average nid-depth thickness of
the Quaker Dam proposed 1853 only u per cent OF that
Of the Belgian dam finished in 1876. ana Then the
Belgian masterpiece Is only 81 cent OF the height OF the
Quaker Brdge DAM Or other words. the section OF
the Belgian the DAM which is
pressure oDt back and base The difference between the
caution Beg and the daring of New> DIRK is something
Belgian example Of "a quarter the OF
CrVtOn colossal, was nine years in building.